Golf club



Dec. 6, 1932. A. E. BUHRKE ETAL GOLF CLUB Filed sept. ze, 1930 PatentedDec. 6, 1932 UNITED stares l inserts ALFRED n Bunn-KE ANDALLEN r.nnnrnn, or oiIIcAeo, ILLINOIS, assIcrnons ro I-I.

BUI-IRRE COMPANY, A CORPRATION lOF ILLINOI GOLF CLUB Application filedSeptember 26, 1930. Serfia1`No.y484,535.

The invention relates to a new. and improved construction of a golfclub, particularly to the construction of a-v golf club of the typecommonly referred to as an iron club, that is, having a metallic headwith an integral metal shank and provided with a metallic shaft. Y Y

The primary object oftheinvention is to provide improved means in a golfclub of the described character for securing aV tubular metallic golfclub shaft in the hosel of the metallicV shank of an iron club head.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvedconstruction for securing a tubular metallic shaft inthe hosel of theshank of an iron golf club "head thereby avoiding the use of the commonsecurement means consisting of the provision of registering holes in theshank wall around the hosel and in the hollow metallic shaft in whichasuitable locking rivet or pin is secured, since it is found that anycutting or drilling of the comparatively thin walls of the hollow shaftnecessarily weakens .them and renders the shaft more liable tocrystallization and failure at that point. Y i Y Other objects of theinvention will appear from the following. description which is directedto the preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrated in thedrawing forming a part of the specification, the novel features beingset forth in the appendedV claims.

In the said drawing: Y

F ig. 1 is an elevation view'of a complet viron type of-golf club towhich the invention is shown applied.

Fig. 2 is an illustrative, longitudinal, sectional view of a fragment ofthe shank of an iron club hea-d showing the lower extremity of a steelshaft inserted in the hosel and ready to have the detached anvil plug,shown in the drawing, inserted by passing' the same'from the upper openend of the conical hollow shaft to the lower end thereof within thehosel, as illustrated in Fig. 3, Fig. 3 also showing a specially formedlocking plug designed to be inserted within the hollow steel shaft inthe manner illustrated in F ig. 4 and finally driven to the lockingposition as shown by the relative position of the parts in Fig..

5, Figs. 3, 4 and f'being fragmental sectional views'similar to Fig` 2.,l

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar `to Figs. 2 to -r inc'lusive,illustrating the use of a rmodified form of locking device for Vsecuringthe shaft in the hosel in the shank of the club head.v

The invention .is adapted only for use in connection with tubularmetallic shafted clubs, the shaft of which isdesignated in the drawingby the reference character 10, the

same being provided with the usual wrapped handle portion 11.

The reference character 12 y'designates the iron head ofthe clubprovided withan integral shank or neck portion 13 providedwith acentrallongitudinal opening or hosel 14" to receiveY the lower end-.of theconical or taperedv shaft .10. y, .The invention is applicabletothehosel of any metallic necked club head but I prefer ,Y

togive the necklof the head the general shape 'ofthe frustum of a cone,that is,forbalancing purposes, making the diameter of the neck portion13 largest near the upper end thereof and Vtapering lthe v'samedownwardly in theA r usual manner to a point near where the blade t orhead'portionbegins to provide the usual widened portion112which carriesthe striking face. l i 'i .Near the thickest portion of the neck-131which-may be tapered at its upper extremity as indicated'at 15 for thesake of appearance and to provide a slight resiliency in the upperA'end' of the neck tofprevent a tendency to kinking or crystallizationof the shaft whereA it enters the hosel, I provide a peripheral groovewithin the hosel -on the neck 13 as indicated at 16. 'd

17 is an anvil or wedge block that maybe formed at its kklower extremityat 18 to correspond with the shape of the hosel opening 14 at the bottomthereof, so that when the anvil 17 is in its normalposition vasillustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive, the lower end thereof will befrmlyseated on the bottomfof the hosel opening 14 iorovidingv an angularanvil surface at the upper end thereof in the transverse planecoi-incident with the groove-16, as is illustrated also in Figs. 8 to 5inclusive, the conical wedging surface at the upper end of the anvil 17being designated by the reference character 19.

The anvil block 17 may be of a diameter to form a cross drive t when itreaches the low-er end of the hosel opening in the. lower end ofthetubular shaft. j

In assembling the parts to secure the shaft 10 to the head of the club,if the shank 13 is drilled to'provide the hosel opening 14: and theperipheral locking groove 16, the-lower slightly conical or tapered endof the shaft will be driven to the position of the parts shown in Fig.2, after which the cylindrical .anvil plug 17 will be inserted in theenlarged .upper end of the shaft and, by means of a driving rod, will beforced downwardly until it seats on the bottom 'of' the hosel opening 14kas illustrated in'Fig. 3 with the abruptly ytapered upper end 19thereof adjacent the peripheral groove 16.v To secure thek best resultsthe anvil block 17 will preferably be formed of a comparatively hardmetal or at least the upper end. thereof adjacent vthe wedging surfaces19 may be case-hardened in the usual manner. The tubular shafts 10 aregenerally constructed of steel and having a degree of hardness somewhatin excess of the material of the shank 13 of the head.

A cylindrical wedging block 2O of a diameter adapted to have a drive'fitintoy the interior of a tubularshaft 10 will be"v next introduced on theinterior of the shaft. This block 20 which is shown in Figs. 3, to 5inclusive, will be provided with acentral bore 21 atthe lower endthereof, andl this bore will be preferably enlarged at the lowerextremity providing peripheral walls 22; When they cylindrical wedgingblock 20 is driven downwardly to seat upon the1 anvil block 17 by meansof a driving rod, not shown, introduced through the open upper end ofthe tubular shaft 10, the peripheral widened portion 22 at the lower endof the block 2() will first contact with the angular portions 19 in theopening inthe end of the anvil block 17 as most clearly shown in Fig. 4,after which the wedging block 20 may be further Idriven to spread theperipheral wedging portions 16 around the upper end of the anvil Vwiththe result that the vperipheral walls of the shaft 10 adjacent thegroove 16 will be spread or' enlarged into the 'groove 16 thus securelylocking the Yshaft 10 within the hosel 14 of the yneck 13. By the timethe wedging block'20 has been driven to the position with parts occupiedas shown in Fig. 5, which will become so firmly seated and embedded onthe interior of the yshaft 10 within the peripheral grooved hoselopening that the shaft 10 may not be removed from the vshank of the clubwithout fracturing the material of the shaft, thus securing a joint thatwill resistv allshocksvor strains incident to playing with-the club andmaking a locking joint that is 'completely hidden from the shaft and theclub head neck are liable to become dislodged and to cut the material ofthe tubular steel shaft in a manner to promote crystallization yof ashaft at this point inthe hosel 1. i

In Figs. 6 and 7 we showa modified form 'of locking device for securingthe `'shaft 10 within the hoselof the neck 13 of the club, the latterbeing provided with the interior peripheral groove 16'V as shown inFigs. 2 to 5 inclusive and'if the shaft 10 is introduced Vinto thefhosel as before described andas shown in Fig. 6, a hardened steel ball25 is introduced into the open enlarged end of the tapered tubular shaftand forcedy downwardly by means of a driving rod until the hardened ball25 reaches the portion adjacent the peripheral groove 16 ,as shown inFig. 7. The hardened steel ball) 25 will be of a prei determined sizeadapted to pass through the v opening in the shaft 10 with a drivefit inthe upper end of the shaft 15 and by driving the Vvball further until itregisters within the plane passing through the widest portion y-of thegroove 16, it will spread the'materialoffthe tubular shaft 10 into thegroove 16 as indiy cated at 26 in Fig. 7 rlhis will result in'anenlargement of the shaft .at this point that will effectively preventthe removal of the shaft by an outward pull since the portion expandedwithin Vthe groove 16 will be larger than the diameter of the hoselopening at the upper end of the groove 16 so that the shaffv will bepermanently locked in the hosel in the shank portion of the club headand may not be removed without a failure of the material of the shaftwhen the locking ball is of the proper size before being driven intothat portion of the shaft adjacent the peripheral looking opening 16.

In order that the invention might be understood, the preferredembodiments have been described but it is not desired'to be limited tothe details except as set forth in the claims since it will be apparentthat persons skilled in the art may resort to certain modificationswithout departing from the purpose and spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a golf club, a headportion provided with an elongated neck orshank having a central bore, there being an undercut peripheral grooveon the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tubular metallic handleshaft seated within the hosel opening, and means on the interior of thesaid tubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft intosaid peripheral undercut groove therein for locking said tubular shaftinto permanent engagement with the said head of the club.

2. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck orshank having a central bore, there being an undercut peripheral grooveon the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tubular metallichandleshaft seated within the hosel opening` and means on the interior of saidtubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft into the saidperipheral groove in thesaid bore or hosel opening for locking saidtubular shaft into permanent engagement with the said head portion ofthe club, comprising a metallic anvil block substantially filling theinterior of the tubular shaft from the lower end thereof and when seatedupon the bottom of the hosel opening, having the upper end of Vsaidanvil block substantiallg7 registering with the under cut peripheralgroove on the interior of said `bore or hosel opening, there beingangular wedging surfaces provided on the upper extremity of the saidanvil block, and a cylindrical wedging block provided with a bore in thelower end thereof adapted to cooperate with the upper reduced end of theanvil block when the wedging block is forced I downwardly thereupon,whereby to expand the adjacent walls of the tubular shaft into lockingengagement with the said undercut peripheral groove on the .interior ofthe bore or hosel opening.

3. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck orshank having a central tapered bore, there being an undercut peripheralgroove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tapered tubularmetallic shaft seated within the hosel opening and means on the interiorof said tubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft intosaid xperipheral undercut groove therein for locking said tubular shaftinto permanent engagement with the said head of he club, comprising aspherical metallic all.

4. In a golfclub, a head portion provided i with an elongated neck orshank having a tapered-central bore, there being an undercut peripheralgroove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, handle shaftprovided with a substantially uniform taper at the lower end thereof forco-operating withthe said central tapered bore or hosel opening, and ametallic wedging device adapted, when forced into the interior of thevlower end of the tubular shaft within the hosel opening, to expand thewalls of said tapered shaft into locking engagement with the undercutperipheral groove in the tapered bore or hosel of said golf club head.

5. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck orshank having a one of which is adapted to be deformed- -by contact withthe other of said blocks to eX- pand the walls of said tubular memberadjacent and into said peripheral undercut groove.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. Y Y

' ALFRED E. B'UHRKE.

ALLEN F. HEETER.

a tubular metallic i

